On April 21, 2016 the world lost Prince. Prince was a man who pushed the boundaries of music, fashion and artistry.Prince was unapoligically Prince and he was also unapoligically black. Right up until his untimely death he was speaking out about the injustices against the black community, against black violence.

He did this and was celebrated, despite not fitting the mould many expect of a ‘black man’. He wore heels, rocked makeup and many flamboyant clothes. He was androgynous and had been known to wear crop tops and even dresses along with other women’s clothes.

But Prince was a talent that cannot be reckoned. His music will endure, a true legend, with a true legacy.

Jaden Smith…. Well, what about him?

Jaden often gets a bad rep, not seen as the smartest tool in the box, many feel his fame is largely due to his beloved father.

However, in search of his own artistry (or attention seeking) many feel that his parents have let him go way too far. Wearing dresses, unapologetically, speaking out about gender norms, a real contentious issue in the black community.

But he isn’t Prince. He never will be… BUT!

Will Smith said of his son while speaking on the UK’s 1 Xtra radio station,

“You’ve got to get out on the edge. You have to try things, you have to be comfortable doing things people don’t agree with and you have to be comfortable with doing things that you could fail.

“And Jaden is 100 per cent fearless. He will do anything. As a parent, it’s scary, it’s really terrifying but he is completely willing to live and die by his own artistic decisions and he just doesn’t concern himself with what people think.

”

So, if we gave Prince a hall pass, shouldn’t we give Jaden one too? Don’t we want our children to be who they truly are, even if we don’t agree with it? Don’t we want them to tread their own path with our support? Don’t we want to be there for them when they succeed, when they fail, don’t we want to be the backbone, not the restricter?

Looking forward to your thoughts….